Bringing someone new into your business is exciting. There’s a lot to think about: contracts, introductions, training, getting them settled in. IT onboarding often ends up as an afterthought, something to sort out on the morning they start. That tends to result in a new starter spending their first day waiting for access, fiddling with setup, and getting off to a slow start. Here’s a better approach.
Sort the IT before they arrive
The goal is for a new starter to sit down on day one and be able to get to work. That means their device is ready, their accounts are set up, and they have access to the systems they need. None of this should be happening on their first morning.
With a bit of forward planning, ideally a week before they start, you have time to prepare everything properly without rushing.
The IT onboarding checklist
- Device ready and configured: Laptop or computer set up with the right software, security settings, and company profile
- Email account created: With their name, the right email signature, and added to any relevant shared inboxes or distribution lists
- Access to shared files and storage: Appropriate permissions to the folders and drives they need
- Business applications set up: Whatever tools your team uses day-to-day, they should be installed and accessible
- Communication tools: Added to your team’s chat platform, video call system, and any relevant channels
- Multi-factor authentication configured: Set this up from day one rather than leaving it as something to do later
- Security briefing: A quick conversation about password practices, phishing awareness, and how to report IT issues
Think about access levels
Not everyone needs access to everything. A new team member probably shouldn’t have admin rights on their device or access to financial systems on their first week.
Starting with appropriate, role-based access and adding more as needed is a much safer approach than giving broad access by default and hoping to tighten it up later. It also makes the offboarding process simpler if they eventually leave.
Document what you set up
Keep a simple record of what accounts, access, and devices each team member has. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, a shared spreadsheet is fine. When someone leaves, this list tells you exactly what needs to be revoked.
It’s one of those things that takes five minutes to create and saves a significant amount of time later.
Let us handle the technical side
If you’re on a managed IT support plan with us, we can handle the device setup, account creation, and configuration so that your new starter’s first day is smooth from the start. It’s one less thing on your plate during what’s already a busy time.
Want new starters hitting the ground running from day one? We can make that happen.
